Based on your preferences, if you prioritize battery life and portability, the ASUS Zenbook 13 may serve you well with its notable battery capacity and lightweight design. However, if performance, especially during general use and engineering tasks, is more important to you, you might lean towards the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s, which offers more RAM and a higher-resolution display. The ThinkBook also has a touchscreen, beneficial if you prefer interactive usage. On the other hand, the ASUS offers an OLED screen, which generally provides better colors and contrast. The Lenovo comes with a newer version of Windows and has extra benefits like facial recognition, a feature not available on the ASUS. If budget is a significant concern, the Lenovo ThinkBook typically comes at a lower price compared to the ASUS Zenbook, though you may want to consider whether the specific features of the ASUS justify its higher cost in your case. Give Feedback
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Advantages of the ASUS Zenbook 13
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has no clear advantages over the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s.
Advantages of the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s
Very good speakers
Key differences
Screen Quality
7.8/10
7.2/10
13.3in
SIZE
13.3in
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
378.0 nits
BRIGHTNESS
336.0 nits
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has a better screen than the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s for general use, gaming and AI, and engineering and design, while the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s has a better screen for content creation, and software development.
If you prioritize vivid and sharp visuals for everyday tasks and professional design work, the ASUS Zenbook 13 with its higher resolution and brighter display is superior, offering colors that pop and finer detail. For engineering and design, both have decent color coverage essential for accurate color work, but the ASUS might edge out with slightly better range in color gamuts. However, for gaming and 3D applications where fast refresh rates are key to a smooth experience, both the ASUS and Lenovo fall short, as they lack the high refresh rates desired by gamers and professionals in animation or 3D modeling.
Cost
$890
$1,000
$400
$600
$800
$1,000
$1,200
$1,400
$1,600
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has a price of $890 and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s costs $1,000.
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both good for general use.
The ASUS Zenbook 13 offers good general use capabilities with its AMD Ryzen CPU, 8GB RAM, and OLED screen which is known for vibrant colors and contrast, plus it is lightweight and has a long battery life, making it quite portable. On the other hand, the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s features a newer Intel CPU, double the RAM for more demanding tasks, a higher-resolution screen, and also excels in portability and battery performance, though it is slightly heavier and its screen, while high quality, is not OLED.
Gaming and AI
6.2/10
6.4/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
60Hz
REFRESH RATE
60Hz
No
SUPPORTS DLSS
No
No
MUX SWITCH / ADVANCED OPTIMUS
No
8.3/10
FAN NOISE SCORE
8.3/10
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both only fair for gaming and AI.
The ASUS Zenbook 13 and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s are both fair for gaming and 3D because they have integrated GPUs, which are less powerful compared to dedicated gaming GPUs, and both have standard 60Hz screen refresh rates which are adequate for casual gaming but not optimal for high-end, fast-paced games. The Zenbook 13 uses an AMD Ryzen 7 CPU with Vega 8 graphics, while the ThinkBook 13s employs an Intel i7 CPU with Iris Xe graphics; both setups provide reasonable processing power but may not handle intensive gaming and 3D tasks as well as laptops with more powerful, dedicated graphics cards and higher refresh rates.
Engineering and Design
7.1/10
7.5/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
3.6/10
OVERALL GPU SCORE
3.8/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both good for engineering and design.
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s is preferred for engineering and design due to its higher RAM, which facilitates better multitasking, and a higher-resolution touchscreen display that can be advantageous for precise design work. While the ASUS Zenbook 13 has an adequate processor and GPU for moderate tasks, its lower RAM and standard resolution OLED screen without touch capability make it less suited for complex engineering applications and intricate design work.
Content Creation
7.6/10
7.8/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
OLED
DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
IPS
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both good for content creation.
PerfectRec’s Content Creation Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for photo editing, video editing and other content creation tasks.
Software Development
7.3/10
7.7/10
5.8/10
OVERALL CPU SCORE
7.9/10
8.0 GB
RAM
16.0 GB
1920 x 1080
RESOLUTION
2560 x 1600
7.0/10
KEYBOARD QUALITY SCORE
7.5/10
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s and ASUS Zenbook 13 are both good for software development.
PerfectRec’s Software Development Score takes into account the many different features of the laptop that make it more or less suitable for software developers.
Battery
9.0 Hours
8.0 Hours
The ASUS Zenbook 13 has 9 hours of battery life. The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s has 8 hours of battery life.
Battery life estimate is based on a mix of common use patterns. More portable and higher performing laptops tend to have less battery life.
Portability
Excellent
Excellent
13.3in
SIZE
13.3in
2.5 lbs
WEIGHT
2.9 lbs
0.5in
THICKNESS
0.5in
The ASUS Zenbook 13 and Lenovo ThinkBook 13s both have excellent portability.
The most portable laptops are small, thin, and light.
Build Quality
7.4/10
7.6/10
The Lenovo ThinkBook 13s and ASUS Zenbook 13 both have good build quality.
PerfectRec’s Build Quality Score incorporates case materials, display and keyboard flex, hinge quality, and overall reliability.
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How the ASUS Zenbook 13 and the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s compare to other laptops
"The Asus ZenBook 13 is a compact 13-inch laptop with a fast Ryzen 7 5800U and OLED display. The subnotebook is also light and the modern design is convincing. The selection of high-quality materials make the device not only light, but also very stable. In addition, the visuals and haptics of the device offers a high-quality impression. The AMD Ryzen 7 5800U is a very good fit for the ZenBook 13, ensuring a high performance in the test. However, in terms of the 3D performance, we also notice that the Vega architecture is beginning to hit its limits."
"The best thing about the ThinkBook 13S is that it’s a good deal. Business buyers looking for ThinkPad-level performance and software without ThinkPad pricing will probably find the ThinkBook a solid option. While nothing about it is really spectacular, it’s certainly unusual to see the ThinkBook’s screen resolution at a sub-$1,000 price, and its performance will be more than adequate for most office tasks. The generous port selection, 16:10 aspect ratio, physical webcam shutter, and clear audio are certainly icing on the cake."
Get a great deal on the ASUS Zenbook 13 or the Lenovo ThinkBook 13s
About ASUS
ASUS, a Taiwanese electronics brand, is one of the largest personal computer vendor by market share. The majority of their laptops are targeted towards personal use or gaming. Their most popular product lines include the budget-friendly VivoBook, more premium ZenBook, and their TUF and ROG gaming laptops, the latter of which has a reputation for excellent gaming performance.
About Lenovo
Lenovo is a Chinese technology company, and one of the largest personal computer vendor. They are well known for a variety of technology products, including laptops. Their consumer series include their entry level IdeaPad and LOQ series and mid-to-high-end Yoga and Legion series. On the business-oriented side, their series include their entry-level ThinkBook series and mid-to-high-end ThinkPad series. Lenovo laptops offer strong performance for reasonable prices, and are often on sale.
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec laptops team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest laptop information and makes it digestible for you.
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